Now that marijuana is finally becoming legalized in several states across the United States, the cannabis industry is booming at a rapid rate — and celebrities are getting in on the fun too.
Over the last couple of months, we’ve seen a huge uptick in Black and brown entrepreneurs who have tried their hand at entering the weed marketplace in an effort to further diversify the industry.
With this in mind, many Black celebrities are also cashing into the lucrative business and have even established initiatives to help other aspiring Black entrepreneurs finally capitalize off a system that has fought tooth and nail to criminalize them for what’s now considered very legal.
Check out the celebrities who have successfully dived into the cannabis industry below:
Jay-Z
Hip Hop legend and esteemed businessman Jay-Z has always been a supporter of Black liberation and entrepreneurship. This is why he’s gotten so involved in the cannabis industry through the launch of his own brand, Monogram, and investment fund to support minority-owned cannabis businesses.
His partnership with Caliva to launch his brand marked his inaugural step into the cannabis marketplace and he’s since become an active player in the industry. As a result of New York’s recent legalization of weed, Jay-Z issued a statement expressing his excitement for his home state “paving the way for a thriving and equitable cannabis market.”
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Snoop Dogg
Music legend and famed cannabis veteran Snoop Dogg has always been at the forefront of the weed space and cultivating smoke culture within Hip Hop. That reputation opened many doors for the Long Beach native and allowed him to get his hands on a slew of cannabis enterprises.
Back in 2015, he officially launched his own line of cannabis offerings called “Leafs By Snoop.” Additionally, his investment fund, Casa Verde Capital, recently closed on $100 million just as we’ve begun to see an uptick in Black entrepreneurs taking the cannabis market by storm. He even helped people like Martha Stewart get into the business.
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Wiz Khalifa
Since he first broke into the music biz as the “Black & Yellow” rapper, Wiz Khalifa has been known as one of Hip Hop’s many weed connoisseurs. His love for getting high and smoking helped the rapper turn his passion into a cannabis empire with Khalifa Kush Enterprises.
To accompany his lucrative weed business, he also launched his food on-demand brand called HotBox by Wiz — a delivery-only restaurant that specializes in munchie menu items.
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Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg has been a long-standing advocate of the cannabis industry. She co-founded her own brand called Whoopi & Maya back in 2016, which has since been shuttered after parting ways with her former partner Maya Elisabeth.
This week, she was unveiled as the inaugural cover of newly-launched publication Black Cannabis Magazine. According to Page Six, she also revealed to the magazine that she plans to launch a new cannabis startup called “Emma & Clyde,” which is expected to release on the market soon.
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Master P
Back in 2016, No Limit Hip Hop icon Master P set out to launch his own line of legal cannabis products called “Master P’s Trees.” Last month, he and his family launched the Limitless cannabis brand with a mission to promote health and healing primarily targeting United States military veterans.
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Ice Cube
Famed rapper Ice Cube found a way to further capitalize off the success of his “Friday” cult film franchise with an inspired line of cannabis products called “Fryday Kush.”
According to a tweet from Cube, his new strain of marijuana was developed in partnership with Caviar Gold, “so you know Fryday Kush is the best.”
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Raekwon
Wu-Tang Clan rapper Raekwon threw his hat into the legal cannabis market by becoming a major investor in CitizenGrown — a startup that pays people to grow weed in their own homes.
According to an Okayplayer interview, the rapper says that the company broke ground on a cultivation laboratory that “allows us to help people, to teach them what cannabis is all about, and make sure that at the end of the day you’re in charge of what you put in you, and you understand what you’re using it for.”
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Al Harrington
Former NBA star turned cannabis entrepreneur Al Harrington has been a game-changer in the weed market through his Viola Cannabis brand.
Since launching in 2011, Harrington has made it his mission to develop 100 Black millionaire cannabis entrepreneurs through an incubator program. He also recently made history as the owner of the first multinational Black-owned cannabis brand.
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Isiah Thomas
Over the years, NBA legend and cannabis entrepreneur Isiah Thomas has built up his growing weed enterprise and recently expanded with a $3 million investment into hemp and cannabis ingredient producer One World Pharma Inc.
Looking ahead, his hope is to help build up his cannabis investments to be significant players in the global cannabis and industrial hemp industries.
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Jaleel White
Actor Jaleel White — famous for his TV role as Steve Urkel — officially marked his entrance into the cannabis game in April 2021 with the launch of his Purple Urkle cannabis line in partnership with 710 Labs. The new collaboration immediately went viral and even got an endorsement from OG weed expert and Hip Hop icon Snoop Dogg.
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